August 14, 2014

Short-order Cooks, Wait Staff - Robots Can Now Do Those Jobs

Newbie writers willing to sling hash and wait tables as they learn their craft and await being discovered might be out of luck.

In China, those two kinds of jobs which can pay the rent have begun to being taken over by robots. The shift has been driven by rising labor costs in that nation.

Yahoo News reports:

"Mechanical staff greet customers, deliver dishes to tables and even stir-fry meat and vegetables at the eatery in Kunshan ..." Here you can read that coverage.

In marketing-savvy America, both low-end and high-end dining establishments might decide to staff with robots as a cool gimmick. Guests will demand to have selfies taken with every one of the robots, from cook to server. Tips can be donated to the guests' favorite charity.

In China, each robot costs about the annual base salary of a human staff member. That means that it would only require one year for the robot to pay for itself. In the U.S., where labor expenses are higher, the robot might represent even greater cost savings.